Page 42 of Crash & Burn
“Who are you?” Callan says looking over at Leo.
“Oh, this is Leo Dale. He’s the CEO of-” I start, but I’m so rudely interrupted.
“I don’t give a fuck where’s he from, he’s in my seat.” Callan’s arm rests on the back of my chair as he stares straight ahead, not looking at me or Leo as he whispers sharply to me. But his whisper isn’t quiet enough because not only does Leo hear him, so do the people in front of us who look back with a questionable glare.
I lean a little closer to Callan as Leo shifts awkwardly in his seat. “Callan,youare in your seat. Besides, I told him it wasn’t a big deal. No one else is sitting there anyway.”
“It’s a big deal to me when I paid for that chair,” Callan says quietly as he turns to look at me. The eye contact makes my heart drop because it’s the first time he’s put his attention on me since we got here. I can’t help but give in to the butterflies in my stomach when he looks at me with his dreamy honey green eyes.
Leo shoots me a confused look.
“You bought three chairs? Is someone else joining us?” I talk quietly over the auctioneer who has already started the bidding war for the first item.
“No,” Callan says, but his answer only confuses me more. What is the point of paying for three seats if we only need two?
“Callan, what’s wrong with you? Why are you so hot and cold all of a sudden?” I dare to ask and I regret it, instantly.
“I want this random dude out of the seat that I paid for. He’s too fucking close to you.” His voice is raised a bit and a few of the guests look over at us again. Embarrassment washes over me, but Leo must have gotten the hint as he moves back over the fourth seat. Immediately, chatty Chad starts whispering to him. I feel bad, he’s a nice guy who wasn’t doing anything wrong.
“What the hell, Callan? No one is sitting there, what’s the problem?” I glare at him while he stays facing forward, pretending like he’s paying attention.
“Going once. Going twice. Sold! For two hundred thousand to Kerri Bills!” The auctioneer announces as a voice makes a small cheering sound from the back.
Callan turns to me as the crowd gets restless in between auctions, laughter and chatter start to fill the auditorium. He removes his hand from the back of my chair and places it firmly on my thigh.
His hand.
My bare skin.
Touching.
Then squeezing.
My stomach flips at the feeling of him applying pressure to my thigh, his rough hand seemingly staking claim.
“I bought that seat because I couldn’t stand the idea of some pig sitting too close to you. Is that what you want to hear, Sterling? Now be a good girl and pay attention.” Callan’s sharp whisper trails over the lobe of my ear then tingles over the rest of my body. Without warning, I’m wet, having no choice but to clench my thighs together. What the hell happened to this man? Callan removes his hand and drags his thumb over the bottom of his lip seductively, showing that he knows what he just did to me as he stares where my legs are crossed.
This man is all kinds of confusing. He’s scorching-hot, then freezing-cold. He talks to me, then ignores me. He tells me he doesn’t flirt with coworkers, then he bosses me around in an obviously flirtatious way.
The rest of the auction is uncomfortable. I’m in a dress that I don’t know how to sit in, the slits almost showing the string to the thong I’m wearing. I’m still hot between my legs, making any kind of movement unbearable; desire growing heavily inside of me.
Callan’s donated car sells for a whopping two million dollars, which makes my head spin just thinking about it. The auctioneer then announces that the final item is up for bid. The crowd begins whispering amongst themselves trying to guess what it could be.
“Our final auction item of the night is an all-inclusive three-night, four-day stay at the most luxurious hotel Venice has to offer. All airfare, amenities, and excursions paid for.” The crowd grows louder with excitement. “You’ll enjoy compensated meals for the entirety of the trip along with a complimentary private boat and captain to use throughout the stay of your trip. This dreamy vacation for two totals out to be a little over four hundred thousand dollars in value and is donated by Celeste, of Fantasy Travels. Who wants to start off the bidding? Do I hear one hundred thousand?” The auctioneer starts the bidding war.
People are raising their hands left and right, he can’t speak fast enough. The price rises quickly, it’s now at three hundred thousand.
“Do I hear three fifty?”
“Me!” A woman screams from behind. My head feels dizzy from glancing back and forth between people raising their paddles.
“Four hundred thousand?? Three fifty going once-”
“Here!” A man shouts back.
“Four hundred thousand over there going once. Do I hear five? Going twice.”
I look over at Callan, I can’t tell what he’s thinking. He hasn’t said two words to me since he basically told me to shut up and pay attention. He’s acting cool, calm, and collected sitting in his chair. That’s when I notice Celeste is turned to the side with her eyes glued on Callan. This vacation is her item up for auction. Shouldn’t she be focused on that and not on my boss? It makes me extremely uncomfortable. I’m sure he was with her earlier when they both got to their seats late.Did they hook up?Do I expect anything less from Callan, given everything I’ve heard about him? No, I don’t.